Vision and Mission of the Eriksson College of Education
Consistent with the institutional vision and mission and with our heritage as an institution with a major commitment to quality teacher preparation, the vision of the Austin Peay State University School of Education is to prepare highly qualified professionals who are knowledgeable in standards-based practice and thus become competent, reflective, and caring educators who, while working in collaboration with other professionals, will serve as change agents to foster development and learning in the lives of learners. Our theme “Preparing Professionals Through Standards-Based Practices” reflects our vision, mission, and goals, and supports reflective, data-informed planning for continuous improvement.
Fundamental to our mission is a firm commitment, guided by an articulated Conceptual Framework and Knowledge Base, to contribute to students’ development as they progress toward their careers as professionals in education and its related fields. Consistent with the institutional vision and mission and with our heritage as an institution with a major commitment to quality teacher preparation, the vision of the teacher education unit at Austin Peay State University is to prepare highly qualified professionals who are knowledgeable and skilled in standards-based practice.
Our goal is to prepare competent, reflective, and caring educators who, while working in collaboration with other professionals, will serve as change agents to foster development and learning in the lives of all learners. The focus of the teacher education unit at Austin Peay State University is on preparing professionals for the P-12 environment by providing three key elements knowledge, skills, and dispositions through standards-based practices. Specifically these elements address:
The knowledge element that enables the professional educators to:
- use their general and subject area knowledge to enable students to
- learn and communicate effectively with others.
- use technological knowledge and collaborative techniques to foster
- active inquiry, problem solving, and performance skills among learners
The skill element that enables the professional educators to:
- use techniques and strategies to create learning environments that
- foster student intellectual, social, and personal development, and
- use technology and collaborative learning strategies to foster active
- inquiry, problem solving, and performance skills among learners, and
- use reflection and outcome assessments to improve learning experiences.
The dispositional element that enables the professional educators to:
- create a climate of openness, inquiry, and support by using strategies that develop an atmosphere of acceptance and appreciation for diverse individuals and groups in the larger community, and
- practice behavior meeting ethical and professional standards while striving for continual personal improvement.
Interwoven throughout courses and experiences in all programs are learning opportunities that foster in teacher candidates and other school personnel an array of knowledge, skill, and dispositional outcomes related to diversity, technology, and democracy.
